On a strange night we warned you about, the Kraken lost 2-0 to the San Jose Sharks, one of the two worst teams in the NHL. Oddly enough, earlier in the evening in the only other NHL game, the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the St. Louis Blues 1-0. The Blues are one of the teams between Seattle and a playoff spot.
Call it a blown opportunity.
1st Period
It took 4:17 for the Sharks to get their first shot on Kraken goalie Joey Daccord. At that point the Kraken only had two against Mackenzie Blackwood.
Oddly enough, Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak had as many shots-on-goal as the entire Sharks team in the 1st period. That would be three. Seattle finished with 13.
The Kraken had the best scoring chances, notably Tomas Tatar, but didn’t click. Seattle went 0-for-1 on the period’s lone power play.
2nd Period
Oleksiak added his fourth shot just two minutes in. That was after Matty Beniers had a glorious scoring chance in the first ninety seconds.
The Sharks first scoring chance of the game occurred eight minutes into the 2nd period, but didn’t actually result in a shot. They didn’t register their first shot-on-goal of the period until 11 minutes were gone. It came on a power play after Oleksiak went off for holding at 9:25.
Oliver Bjorkstrand had the best chance of the stanza for the Kraken when he fired a shot from the slot off the post. It came off a diligent forecheck and puck retrieval by Eeli Tolvanen.
Jared McCann had a great look down low, but elected to pass off to Jordan Eberle who was stopped by Blackwood in the final minute. The Sharks goalie was clearly San Jose’s best player on the ice.
3rd Period
The Kraken were entering dangerous territory. They had completely dominated the game and had nothing to show for it. It had the potential to become a one-shot game that could go either way.
Blackwood robbed Seattle D-man Adam Larsson three-and-a-half minutes into the period.
San Jose had a decent chance a minute later that Daccord covered before a scrum ensued. Will Borgen of the Kraken and Luke Kunin of the Sharks dropped the mitts for a brief fight.
The clubs exchanged decent chances before San Jose lit the lamp first at 7:27. Veteran defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic fired a wrist shot from the left point that may have grazed Kraken D-man Justin Schultz on its way through.
The Sharks clearly saved their best effort for the 3rd period.
Seattle kept cranking. McCann skated in and ripped a shot off the post with exactly five minutes remaining.
Seattle pulled Daccord for an extra attacker off an offensive zone draw, but couldn’t get shots through.
Jan Rutta potted an empty netter for the final margin.
Shots-on-goal finished 32-22 in favor of the Kraken. Power plays: San Jose 0-for-1, Seattle 0-for-1.
Seattle starts its ten-day NHL All-Star break / bye week.
